Tag: Riz Ahmed

Animation, Interview, Movies2 Comments

‘Nimona’ Cast and Crew Talk Bringing the Timely, Queer Positive Graphic Novel to Film

Lauren Lola

Nimona is on its way to being released on Netflix this week. Based off of ND Stevenson’s 2015 graphic novel of the same name, the film follows Ballister Boldheart, a knight framed for murder. With everyone in the kingdom having turned their backs on him — even his former flame, Ambrosius Goldenloin — Ballister does whatever he can to clear his name, with a little help from Nimona; a zany, unapologetic shapeshifter.

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Animation, Movies

Chaos, Fun, and Adventure Unfolds in ‘Nimona’ Official Trailer

Lauren Lola

It’s halfway through Pride Month, and the official trailer for Nimona is out. The highly anticipated adaptation of ND Stevenson’s queer-centered 2015 graphic novel of the same name gives a more in-depth look at what the audience can expect.

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Interview, Movies, Streaming

Janina Gavankar Talks About Her New Film, ‘Encounter’

Keith Chow

After four years since the last time she stopped by, Janina Gavankar returns to the NOC to catch up on the last few years. She and I discuss the projects she’s completed in that time, including the new film starring Riz Ahmed, Encounter, now available to stream on Prime Video.

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Marvel, Movies

Marvel Taps ‘Mogul Mowgli’ Director Bassam Tariq to Direct ‘Blade’

Jamal Michel

Today, Deadline broke the exclusive news that Marvel is set to choose Mogul Mowgli director Bassam Tariq to direct the new ‘Blade’ film starring Mahershala Ali. Sources close to Deadline say that while deal hasn’t been finalized, it does come at the end of a fairly long and considerate search for the film’s director. When the deal is officially inked, Tariq will become Marvel’s sixth director of color, rounding out the list of his contemporaries that include Ryan Coogler, Chloé Zhao, and Taika Waititi.

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Star Wars, Toys

Hasbro Reveals New and Updated ‘Rogue One’ Black Series Figures and More

Keith Chow

During today’s Hasbro livestream celebrating the forthcoming “I Am Your Father’s Day” event, the Star Wars team revealed several new items from their Black Series and Vintage Collection, including multiple Rogue One figures and repaints collectors have been clamoring for since the line debuted in 2016.

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Movies, Streaming

Gold Open Celebrates API in Film with Inaugural Gold List

Laura Sirikul

Gold Open, the Gold House-movement to push box office success for multicultural films, and CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) have launched their own list honoring the most outstanding Asian and Pacific Islander achievements in film called the Gold List.

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Star Wars, Streaming, Television1 Comment

Diego Luna to Reprise Role in Cassian Andor Series for Disney+

Keith Chow

Well, that was unexpected.

In a conference call with reporters, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed a second live action Star Wars series will be coming to Disney’s long-anticipated streaming service. Rogue One star Diego Luna will be reprising the role of Cassian Andor in a series set before the events (obviously) of the Star Wars Story that grossed over a billion dollars in 2016. The series follows The Mandalorian from Jon Favreau as Lucasfilm looks to expand the Galaxy Far, Far Away to (live action) television.

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Star Wars2 Comments

Go Asians: A History of AAPI Representation in ‘Star Wars’

Keith Chow

The month of May holds a special place in the hearts of Asian American and Pacific Islander Star Wars fans. For starters, May has been AAPI Heritage Month since 1990, though it originally began as “Asian Pacific Heritage Week” when it was proposed in Congress by Representatives Frank Horton and Norman Y. Mineta in 1977. That’s right, 1977. You know what else debuted in May 1977?

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Television2 Comments

My Love/Hate Relationship with HBO’s Girls

Britney Monae

Girls is over. I have a lot of feelings about this show, if you’re aware of the criticism surrounding it, then yes I’m going to dabble into that. As well as some of the parts I actually liked. If you don’t want to read this whole essay, then it’s fine. To sum up how I feel: I showed up for Adam Driver and developed a love-hate relationship with the series overall. Brace yourselves, this is going to be long.

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Guest Post, Marvel, Television22 Comments

Finn Jones Whitesplains Iron Fist to Asian Woman Then Takes Twitter Timeout

Guest N.O.C.

by theblerdgurl | Originally posted on Medium

Yesterday, Finn Jones, the actor playing Danny Rand on the Netflix debut of Marvel’s live action version of Iron Fist abruptly quit twitter. He wasn’t being harrassed, he wasn’t threatened, there was no controversy. In fact, to most observers, he simply seemed to be having a conversation. This raised more than a few eyebrows, especially since the show is set to debut in less than two weeks on March 17.

On Sunday night, Jones appears to have gotten into a discussion on twitter with Asyiqin Haron, a 21 year old artist from Singapore who also happens to be the creative director for Geeks of Color, (Heron’s comments are from her own personal twitter account and she was not representing GOC or tweeting from their account when she made them).

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Movies, Television1 Comment

Memo to Non-Asians: Jeannie Mai is Not Brenda Song, and Riz Ahmed is Not Dev Patel

Jenn

Originally posted at Reappropriate

It’s only been a month since racist Trump trolls misidentified a woman at Rex Tillerson’s confirmation hearing as Washington Post editor Doris Truong, Inside Climate News’ Lisa Song, travel and parenting writer Leslie Hsu Oh, or basically any East Asian woman journalist of any prominence — and already people who think all Asians are the same person are at it again.

Over the weekend, the Twitter account for Burberry tweeted excitedly about actor Dev Patel at the British Academy for Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) ceremony, who wore a custom Burberry tuxedo to accept his Best Actor in a Supporting Role award for his part in Lion. The picture that accompanied the tweet? That’s actor and Swet Shop Boys member Riz Ahmed… who is also not Dev Patel.

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Movies, Star Wars18 Comments

Rogue One Subverts Asian Male Stereotypes — and That’s Important

Mallory Yu

Much has already been written about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — how it has added new context to the existing Star Wars franchise, how it is a movie ultimately about war.

Rogue One is also a movie that features three men of Asian descent — two East Asian and one South Asian — and, far from relying on stereotypes of “Asian Masculinity,” in fact subverts those stereotypes in a way that feels revolutionary for Western media. (Needless to say: spoilers.)

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Hard N.O.C. Life, Movies, Star Wars4 Comments

Star Wars Goes Rogue with Val and Bria

The Nerds of Color

Rouge One is the biggest movie on the planet, and we finally devote a whole show to talk about the most diverse (or is it?) Star Wars ever filmed. Joining in on the fun is Tosche-Station.net writer, and Star Wars superfan, Bria LaVorgna and Black Girl Nerds’ movie reviewer, and occasional NOC contributor, Valerie Complex. [Spoilers throughout!]

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Movies, Television5 Comments

Ten (or More) People Who Proved 2016 Wasn’t a Total Disaster

Keith Chow

When it’s all said and done, 2016 will be long remembered as the year everything (including American democracy) went to hell. Pop culture did not go unscathed either. We said goodbye to all of our heroes: Prince, Bowie, Ali, Phife, Kanye… and hello to the worst the internet could offer. From misogynist Ghostbusters haters to problematic faves, it was the year the ugly side of internet culture went mainstream. I mean, we literally elected an internet troll the leader of the free world.

Still, the geekosystem was able to produce a few silver linings in the massive dark cloud that was the last 12 months. Here are ten… or so.

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Movies, Star Wars4 Comments

Rogue One Might be the Best Star Wars Ever

Keith Chow

As we inch closer to the release of the first chapter of the Star Wars saga outside of the “Episodes,” everything we’re seeing about Rogue One has us feeling that it just might be the best film in the franchise. We’ve already lauded how diverse it is and profiled the film’s POC characters, but now that the final trailer and one-sheet have been released, December 16 can’t get here fast enough!

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Movies, Star Wars5 Comments

Star Wars Rebels of Color: Details on the POC Characters of Rogue One

Keith Chow

This week’s newest issue of Entertainment Weekly has the rundown on this December’s Rogue One, the latest addition to the Star Wars saga. Though the movie has been hotly anticipated for a while — including a well received teaser trailer that dropped a few months back — recent rumors about reshoots and studio interference has given some fans pause. For what it’s worth, I’m still hyped about the flick, if for no other reason than its stellar — and diverse — cast. Last year, we were psyched to see just how inclusive the cast was, and now we know exactly who they will be playing.

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Movies23 Comments

Why Can’t the Next Bond be #AsianBond?

Keith Chow

Yesterday, the movie world was shocked (not really) to learn Daniel Craig had turned down a small fortune to return to the big screen as James Bond, leaving a 007-sized hole for the franchise. Of course, the most obvious successor to the Aston Martin is Idris Elba, preferably in a Christopher Nolan-directed 007. Unfortunately, he’s “too street” to be considered, whatever that means. (We know what that means). So why not give an Asian actor a license to kill? Thus, #AsianBond was born on twitter. It’s not like there isn’t a plethora of Asian Brits who could take the role. In fact, I came up with nine. The only caveat is that they all hail from the UK, so sorry John Cho.

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